Wamego City Commission Honors Football All-Star

Wamego honors a High School All-Star. At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, Mayor Bob Morse issued a proclamation that July 27th, 2013 as a day in honor of All-Star Player Dakota Turner, a Wamego High School student, who will be participating in the 40th Annual Kansas All-Star Football Shrine Bowl Game at Washburn University. In addition, Governor Sam Brownback has proclaimed July 27th 2013 as Kansas All-Star Football Shrine Bowl Day. Mayor Morse presented the signed proclamation to Turner as his parents looked on.

A change was also made in the way utility bills will be processed in Wamego. Merl Page, Wamego’s City Manager, introduced an ordinance establishing a new due date for payment of the City’s utility billings. The ordinance states that all billings for utility services are due and payable on the 1st day of each month and must be paid in full by 5 p.m. on the 15th day of that month, or they will be considered delinquent and will be assessed a late payment charge of 10 percent.

Commissioner Bill Ditto felt the ordinance should be changed to extend the payment deadline to 5 p.m. on the 16th, in order to be more customer friendly. After a brief discussion, the deadline will be extended to the 16th, and will take effect after publication in the City’s official newspaper, The Wamego Times.

In other business, an ordinance for a rezoning change from historic townsite residential to heavy industrial was tabled for further study. The purchase of a bucket truck was also tabled for further analysis.

Wamego’s numbers are up in both valuation and sales tax. City Manager Merl Page said he received a report from the County that the City Valuation was up 1 point 6 percent from a year ago. He added the June City-wide sales tax numbers are up 5 point 19 percent for the same time period a year ago, while the County’s numbers are down 2 point 29 percent for the same period.

Page said the sales tax numbers could be an indication of lower sales or the methodology of the way the state distributes the tax to the different jurisdictions. Commissioner Vic Enns asked if there was any way to get a handle on the calculation, and Page wasn’t sure.